How I Became a Disney Cast Member

On May 9th 2005, I saw a flyer on the message board of the architecture building at my university. It was about the opportunity to participate in Disney’s International College Program. Needless to say I was thrilled. The flyer said there would be a meeting held somewhere on campus at a certain time and so I was ready to be there. I had class but was planning on ditching when my teacher arrived in the classroom and I was stuck.

By the time my class was over, I headed to another building for a different class, which happened to be the same building where the meeting was being held. I chose to ditch said class and went ahead to try and get into the meeting, when a French guy, Eric, stopped me.

-Where do you think you’re going? 

-Uhm… to the Disney meeting thing

-Do you have an appointment?

And so I panicked. I didn’t have an appointment. I had seen a flyer. That’s what I told him. 

I don’t know if he took petty on me, but he gave me a phone number and said to call some woman named Roxana. He said she would give me further instructions, whatever that meant. I went on ahead to class.

As soon as I got home, I called her. I mentioned what had happened earlier and then she started speaking to me in English, she asked me a few questions and gave me further instructions. I needed to write a cover letter and bring along a few documents to another meeting that would be held the next day at my school.

Looking back on this, I can’t believe I hesitated. My birthday had been the day before and my then best friend wanted to take me out to celebrate that day. I didn’t think I’d have time to gather any documents or write letters. Moreover, May 10th is mother’s day in Mexico, I didn’t have to go to school and my family was having brunch to celebrate, so the idea of going to bed late to do the things they asked of me and getting up early when I didn’t have to, really bummed me.

But it was Disney. It was the dream. And so I sucked it up. I went out with my friend and then I came home late and wrote a letter where I explained why I wanted to work at Disney. I gathered my birth certificate, High School Diploma and typed a Resume. I got up early the next morning and wore jeans, a stripped pink blouse and a navy blazer. Everyone else wore a suit.

That’s how I met Doris. She wasn’t wearing a suit either. We bonded over the fact that we were both underdressed for the ocassion. I remember her saying that we still looked polished even though we weren’t in suits like everybody else and that we would stand out because of that. Doris, always the optimistic fashion enthusiast. 

We were called inside by the same French guy from the day before. The Disney people showed up, did their magic and we were all in awe. There was a presentation, a pop quiz (I won a pen and a refrigerator magnet!) and then individual interviews. They would let us know in a few weeks whether we had been chosen, but I’m pretty sure you already know what happened :).

So that’s how I ended up working at Disney! I’m curious as to know how all my friends found out about it, as there were people from other cities there that day. It kind of makes you think that some things are just meant to happen to you. What if I had studied at a different university? What if Eric had told me I couldn’t attend the meeting the next day? I probably wouldn’t have found out about this program, spent my summer in Orlando and met a lot of great people, etcetera. 

Have you ever participated in a Disney Program? Which one? How was your process? I’d love to hear all about it!

g.

30 things

Exactly 2 years ago on my bithday I shared a post on my former blog about 28 things I had learned in the previous year*. Today I'd like to update that list as it is pretty much current and just add a couple more items to it. This is basically a translation from that blog post from 2013. Without further ado, here it goes:

1. People don't change. It doesn't matter how hard we try to make them. It is sad, but sometimes we're better off letting go...

2. Great changes are preceded by chaos.

3. You'll never leave where you are if you don't know where you're going.

4. Start before you're ready and if you don't know where to begin, begin anywhere.

5. Sometimes on the chase of a dream we get lost and find a better one.

6. Other times, the dreams that come true are the ones we didn't know we had.

7. Dreams don't work unless we do.

8. Nothing truly great comes easily.

9. When things seem complicated, look again, always look again.

10. The only expectations we should live up to are our own.

11. Remind yourself that it is ok not to be perfect. No one is.

12. What screws us up most in life is the 'image' of what 'it should be'.

13. It doesn't matter if I'm not out and about every weekend, as long as I am ok with that.

14. Best friends aren't always those you've known the longest or those you get to see more often.

15. Living alone is great, but it is not easy or cheap.

16. It is ok to spend money on things YOU enjoy, whether it is a CH bag or paper goodies for crafting.

17. If you don't feel right on your own skin, you can't expect others to feel right around you.

18. It is totally worth it having a job that makes you happy rather than one that pays the rent but makes you miserable.

19. Even when you don't get the credit you deserve, do not doubt your abilities or your work.

20. Without the support of our loved ones, we would be nothing (ps. call your mom and dad).

21. Distance can make the heart grow fonder, but it can also make people grow apart.

22. Even though we don't always express how we feel, it doesn't mean it is not there.

23. We don't need people's approval.

24. No matter how tired or stressed we feel, we are never to neglect those we love.

25. Professional success isn't measured by how money you make, just as personal success isn't about getting married or having kids. It is about being happy.

26. It is perfectly ok to demand what we think we deserve.

27. When you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life.

28. No matter how hard things are, we'll always be able to go throw them and come back stronger.

29. Go to the dentist regularly.

30. Take care of your body: exercise, eat your veggies, drink more water, get enough sleep.

Notice how those last two are health related? Man, getting older is tough! 

g.

*Gummergal shared her list of 30 things she's learned before turning 30 on her blog. Check it out here.

All Time Favorites: Kiddie Movies

I don't know about other places, but in Mexico, we celebrate Children's Day on April 30th. On that day, everyone displays their kiddie/baby pictures on Instagram (including myself), and schools throw parties or events for their students. All in all, it's great to be a kid on Children's Day!

Another great thing about being a kid was kiddie movies. I don't think they were as common as they are today. Ahh... the times before Pixar, Dreamworks, etcetera... I remember watching a lot of adult (not quite R-rated) movies growing up just because there weren't enough options for us back then.

Still, I have a list of personal favorite kiddie movies I thought I'd share today! Here they are in their release order:

1. The Land Before Time (1988). Only know researching about this movie I understand why it is so great: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were both involved. Regardless, I watched this recently on Netflix and surprised myself at how much I remembered about it. But it is always different watching a kiddie movie (or any movie really) as an adult. This isn't just for children. There is so much to learn from it, about friendship, but also about being different and ultimately, how a group is made better and stronger with different kinds of members. 



2. The Little Mermaid (1989). Although nowadays I claim that my favorite Disney movie is 'The Sleeping Beauty', 'The Little Mermaid' is the first movie I remember watching. I remember my parents buying it for me while vacationing in the US, and me watching it on Betamax (I know), then VHS (until I tore the tape from watching it so many times and so my parents bought it again for me), then on DVD. I was 4 years old when it came out, so naturally I was totally into it. It may have helped that we went to Disney for the first time that year and I got a bunch of Mermaid related goodies, like that very same poster.

3. Home Alone (1990). This will also make it onto the Christmas movies category, but I had to include it here as well. 'Home Alone' is probably every kids dream come true, but also, every kid's nightmare. Being left alone in a huge house, specially when you have a big family has got to be one of the greatest things ever, for a kid. However, having burglars trying to break in has got the be the scariest thing ever, for pretty much anyone. Lucky for us, Kevin wasn't too scared, providing a fun filled Christmas Eve for us.

4. Ladybugs (1992). Growing up, this movie was a Pijama Party must (at least for me). I was in love with Jonathan Brandis and seeing him dressed up as a girl to help his future step dad (and also to get closer to his crush) was hilarious. Also it was a projection as I had always wanted to be in a girl soccer team but my school wouldn't allow girls to play soccer :(

5. Free Willy (1993). I'm not sure if people who are not Mexican know this, but Willy was played by Keiko, the killer whale from Mexico's former Reino Aventura. Even though I was a kid, I was moved by this movie. Having been to Water Parks with killer whales and other amazing creatures I was intrigued to see a movie about this. I was happy that Willy was freed. I cried like a baby.

6. The Little Rascals (1994). I was 9 years old when this movie hit theaters and it caused such an impact in my life I was ready to create my own club where boys weren't allowed. I wanted to become a racer (where does one get a car like 'the Blur'?) and me and my brother and sister even named our new puppy (which we literally got after seeing the movie) Spanky.

7. D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994). This was the first of the MD movies I ever watched and was hooked. I'm glad this was the first cause in my opinion it is the best one. I think I watched it on tv and then dragged my dad to Blockbuster to see if they had the first movie. Around the time I watched it, a roller blading rink opened in my hometown and I obviously wanted to join ther hockey team (that didn't happen). Plus, baby Joshua Jackson. Ducks fly together!

8. Jumanji (1995) Who didn't watch this movie and wanted to get their hands on the board game (although was actually a bit terrified that something bad would happen)? It was 1995 and if I'm not wrong, this was one of the very first fantasy movies, at least for our generation. You'd watch it and be amazed at the incredible effects (which all now seem very fake) although back then I'm pretty sure we all thought the lion and monkeys and everything else was real.

9. Casper (1995). Because I was familiar with the cartoon version of Casper, I was excited to see it going what we know call 'live action' (specially because Devon Sawa would play him). Although the story is actually kind of sad, it is also about friendship, which is what most kiddie movies should be about and well, Devon Sawa.

10. It Takes Two (1995). Before our generation's 'The Parent Trap' was 'It takes Two', starring the Olsen Twins. Although it isn't the same story, it involves identical girls switching places resulting in their respective autority figures falling in love. I started watching this movie in English classes on Saturdays and became obsessed with all things Twins and the rest is history.

Honorary mentions go to: All Dogs Go To Heaven + An American Tail. God, there are so many great kiddie movies I've left out. Oh, well, there's always next April. What do you think? What are your favorite kiddie movies?

G.

*The Land Before time via here.
*The Little Mermaid via here.
*Home Alone via here.
*Ladybugs via here.
*Free Willy via here.
*The Little Rascals via here.
*D2 via here.
*Jumanji via here.
*Casper via here.
*It Takes Two via here.

RPQ: Just Do It

I read a lot of blogging tips before starting my second blog. Many of them recommended to plan ahead, to keep a notebook with you at all times to jot down ideas for blog posts, to have an 'editorial' calendar... and so on. But let's be realistic. That's great advice when you're a full time blogger, which I'm not. I have a job. I know this really shouldn't be an excuse for slacking off and not posting in the longest time, but the truth is, sometimes life just gets in the way.

In any case, I saw this image a while ago, pinned it and then instagrammed it because it made sense to me back then for a reason I now can't remember. When I was plotting to start this blog back in October, I remembered I had pinned it and things clicked: I needed to start worrying about having notebooks full of ideas of what I'd write about, that's just not how I work. 

Chances are, this hasn't shown in what I've written so far, but I feel like I can't just write on schedule. I find it hard to write the days I work as I am well, quite busy, but on days I don't, there's so much to do around the house or errands to run and as much as I'd like to dedicate myself full time to crafting and home decorating, it's not a possibility (right now). I write when things happen to me, when I find something inspiring, when I want to share something I've done or achieved. Occasionally, I'm sure, I'll post about things I love and personal stuff, maybe even recipes or my reviews of some place I visited, and this things are what life is about, and not exactly planned.

So I stopped giving myself a hard time for not coming up with more ideas to fill a journal with or for not coming up with an editorial calendar, and I just started writing some things... I wrote about adapting to a new city, starting traditions and our first Christmas living together. But then, life happened and I didn't start the blog when I wanted to and then it was 2015 already and I hadn't posted about Halloween so it didn't make sense anymore (Do you ever write stuff that doesn't get posted because of timing?).

If I had waited until I had 365 blog post ideas, I'd still be working on that and this blog wouldn't exist. I didn't need to get ready, I just needed to start.

The greatness about this quote is that it applies for many things in life. Do you always stall things because you don't feel ready? Believe me, you don't need to be, just do it! Life is what happens while you're busy making plans (or getting ready) ;)

g.

*Image via here.

Moving Update

This has got to be the longest moving in history, I know it definitely is for me.

WARNING: Brace yourself for a lot of text and no images.

We were supposed to move in by the first of April. We got the keys a little earlier so that we could start moving things around and we did, but we didn't want to move everything as we wanted to get everything ready before actually moving, that is cable, internet, etc. So basically, we've been living in two houses since the end of March, with most of A's clothes, many of the kitchen supplies, all of our books and part of our furniture in the new house, while the TV and our bed, along with kitchen essentials (a bowl, a plate, a glass and silverware for each of us) and a few other pieces have remained in the old one.

Let me tell you, in case it is not obvious, it is a complete hassle. The distance is not a problem as the houses are pretty much right next to each other, but I'm tired and can't wait to just live in one place where I can find EVERYTHING. I wanted to make eggs the other day for breakfast, but the oil and salt were at the new house, so I had a bowl of cereal instead (with no sugar as the sugar was of course at the new house too).

We deal with a lot of issues when it comes to water in the area, so, while the new house has perfect water pressure, it didn't have gas to heat it up or start cooking there. Meanwhile, the old house had a full tank of gas, but no water pressure whatsoever. I feel like we've been living in the opposite of civilization. Seriously, I don't know how people can live without what I consider to be basic services.

The moving hadn't happened because we didn't have gas or internet. I know these may not be good enough reasons not to move, but because we were able to stay longer in the old house, we thought we'd wait until everything was ready. We just didn't think it would take this long. Today, after almost 30 days of having requested the change of address for Internet and phone services, we finally got it installed in the new house. It was the last service we needed before moving. 

Also, we had been dealing with gas issues because the house came without a tank, and the installation was ready for a different type of gas which required us to make a new contract in our name and we needed a letter from the landlord in order to get that done. I had given up on the idea of switching back the installation as we were told it was too much trouble, but A brought in one of the plumbers he works with and he fixed everything like it was no big deal. Heavens, we have gas! It was the happiest day!

The wiring for cable had already been installed so that when we moved we could just plug in our old box and we'd be set. Still, we aren't moving yet, as the fridge, our bed and mounted TV are still at the old house (which now has no internet). 

A good thing about the fact that we haven't moved yet, is that we got the house repainted. It was recently painted by the landlord, but being the picky people we are who also happen to be architects, we didn't like the color, so we brought in people to paint it the way we wanted (before and after post coming soon!). I'm very happy with how it turned out and can't wait to start hanging things around.

We are definitely moving sometime next week, as soon as we get the remaining things in the new house. Only (close to) a month after we were supposed to! Can't even express how thrilled I am about starting (yet again) a new life in (yet another) new house. This one feels more adultsy somehow. No more paper lamps, an actual dining room (which we can't wait to reupholster)... things are getting better for us and we couldn't be happier.

Thanks for letting me share!

G.

Finding My Personal Style

Fashion has never been an interest of mine. I don't follow trends (metallic sweatshirt, anyone?) and I don't shop seasonally. In fact, most of the clothes I own I've had for years. I'm the type of person who'll go shopping for outfits on special occasions like birthdays or Christmas, or that will buy a bunch of clothes and then wait to wear them 'on a special occasion'. 

I first discovered fashion blogs like College Fashion while looking for outfit ideas for rainy days (this was before Pinterest even existed). Although I wasn't a college student anymore, everything I was reading on that site inspired me: I loved reading posts about dressing for interviews, for music festivals, date nights, etc. It was my go-to site for fashion inspiration (then again, before Pinterest). After years of following the blog, I took on several fashion challenges and documented them on instagram* and my old blog (written in Spanish).

Although it was fun (and challenging indeed), trying out such different styles to fulfill each particular challenge, made me realize what suits me better and I find myself most comfortable in, it helped me find my personal style. 

I had always consider my style to be comfy and casual. Ever since secondary school and all through high school and college, my uniform or go-to look consisted of jeans and a graphic tee with either sneakers or flip flops, sometimes ballet flats and polos if I was supposed to be a little more dressed up. However, there comes a point when wearing tees that read 'fast and easy' or 'dr. McDreamy makes me steamy' is no longer appropriate.



Whether I care to admit it or not, I'm way passed that point, but looking through my closet, graphic tees (many of which have inappropriate slogans across the chest) represent about 85% (if not more) of my wardrobe. It had not bothered me before, since lucky for me, my places of work were never too formal (and I was conscious enough not to wear that kind of clothes to work). But as I'm growing older (and wiser) I've felt the need to de-clutter and renew my wardrobe with some (age) appropriate pieces that I love, instead of cheap impulse buys. Quality over quantity.

I think it is only natural to develop a personal style over time, which will naturally evolve as one grows up. These days I find myself most comfortable wearing neutrals (black, white, gray, tan and navy) with occasional pops of color, depending on the season. Also, I have learned that certain shapes do not favor my body type so I've chosen to stay away from those (A line skirts, I'm looking at you). So skinny jeans and lose, flowy tops it is for me!

How would you define your style? Do you have an uniform/go-t0 look? 

g.

* use the hashtag #reallifefashionchallenge on Instagram to see my outfits.

Brave Lunches

My first #FoodieFriday post ever could not be written about other than Bravo Loncherías de México. If you're ever in Mexico City it is a must (it actually was named one of the 50 places you must try in the city). The concept is very laid back, and it is the perfect spot for a delicious,  quick meal. It is basically a tortería (mexican sandwich shop) where the three chefs (Bernardo, Luis and Rodrigo) elevate clasic mexican ingredients into sigh worthy, sofisticated, mouth watering masterpieces.

They serve breakfast and lunches and I've been lucky enough to try both. On my first visit, I had a special guest with me, a common friend of Luis and myself, that he hadn't seen in probably nine years. Indhi had a torta de rabo de res while I had a torta de suadero (suadero is a typical ingredient in Mexican tacos). Needless to say they were both to die for.

On another ocassion, it was my parents that were lucky enough to enjoy some breakfast at this lovely spot. We had a sandwich Benedictino (eggs Benedict), a sandwich de claras (egg whites) and Belgian waffles with berries. They also serve home made rolls and fresh fruit and juices. The best part? Tastes as good as it looks ;) aaannnd, for a great price.

I fully support Mexican talent and these three guys are a great example. They also run a foodtruck (Primario) that can be found around the city during Foodtruck Bazars and masive events like music festivals. But more on that some other time. Meanwhile, visit their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter to learn where to find them. And next time you're in the city, make sure you pay them a visit, trust me, you won't regret it ;).

g.